Investigator: Sen. Williams should have been charged; Larimer GOP chair used party money for personal payments; Colo. drops to 5 on best states for biz ranking

Investigator: Sen. Williams should have been charged State Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, should have been charged with criminally negligent homicide in the fatal car accident she was involved in last year, Texas police investigators recommended to a Hartley County Grand Jury last month. The information comes from an accident report obtained Wednesday by the Amarillo Globe-News. Aurora Sentinel

Political spending Former Larimer County Republican Party Chairman Larry Carillo used party money to make payments to two companies he owned, and used a party debit card to make ATM withdrawals, current County Chairman Tom Lucero said Wednesday night in an email to party members. One of the ATM withdrawals Carillo made was for $500 in the Colorado casino town of Black Hawk, Lucero said. The Coloradoan

Immigration rights group ‘condemns’ raids A Colorado immigration rights group and Latinos in the lower Roaring Fork Valley circulated a petition Tuesday and Wednesday that “condemns” U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) and the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office for an operation June 18 at Strawberry Days in Glenwood Springs. The CIRC petition says the raid works against efforts to attract tourist dollars to the Roaring Fork Valley and improve the economy. It claims news of the “irresponsible raid” spread among the Latino community quickly and threatens to keep people away from further festivals and public events in Garfield County and elsewhere in the Roaring Fork Valley. Glenwood P-I

‘It Gets Better’ effort Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., is among a group of 13 Democratic Senators who appear in an “It Gets Better” video that is part of a public service campaign to support equality and LGBT youths who have been bullied or harassed. OregonLive

Springs council pushes pride proclamation The leaders of the City Council say they’re willing to issue a proclamation in support of a gay pride celebration in Colorado Springs next month even if Mayor Steve Bach won’t. The Gazette

Boulder banning vending ‘junk’ By early 2012, city employees and visitors to city facilities can say goodbye to most of the chocolate, nougat and caramel-covered goodness that’s now available in vending machines at city facilities. The decision to replace candy and cookies with healthier options — like granola, Clif Bars and baked chips — is part of the city’s recent commitment to the “Let’s Move!” campaign spearheaded by first lady Michelle Obama. Daily Camera

Studying the Flaming Gorge pipeline Fort Collins businessman Aaron Million was absent Wednesday as water interests from across Colorado met to decide whether to create a permanent task force that would debate whether Million’s Flaming Gorge pipeline plan is feasible. Their decision: Create a new task force made up of some members of Colorado’s river basin rountables and environmentalists who will consider challenges posed by Million’s pipeline or one like it. The Coloradoan

Chemical Depot cleanup timeline Members of the local panel overseeing the destruction of Pueblo’s mustard agent stockpile were told not to worry Wednesday night about Pentagon rumblings that the timeframe of the work could be extended. The Chieftain

Going to pot In an initial vote Tuesday, Breckenridge town council members unanimously approved a measure to put a 5 percent medical marijuana excise tax on the ballot in November. Summit Daily News

“I think there’s a real dangerous tendency in American politics now to want to come home and do the nation-building here. I think it’s very dangerous and it’s particularly evident, I’m sorry to say, in the Republican party.” Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq L. Paul Bremer at the Aspen Ideas Festival, via the Aspen Daily News.

Self-inflicted morality wounds for Dems A one-dimensional morality is proving the undoing of the Democratic Party, according to a social psychologist who outlined the moral values of liberals versus conservatives Wednesday at the Aspen Ideas Festival. “It’s self-inflicted wounds,” said Jonathan Haidt, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia. “The Democrats are doing this to themselves.” Aspen Times

Dispensaries to sue Longmont Four Longmont medical marijuana dispensaries plan to sue the city Thursday, just ahead of the ban that takes effect Friday. Times-Call

So, does Hickenlooper get the blame or Ritter the credit? Colorado was ranked the fifth-best state for business in CNBC’s 2011 special report, down from No. 3 in 2010. Inching ahead of the Centennial state were North Carolina and Georgia.

Today’s non-political must-read homeless-eating-bear edition: A man who is homeless was nipped by a black bear Wednesday morning while sleeping near a Durango soup kitchen. The Herald

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.